Written question asked by Ben Wallace (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 November 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 December 2010. It was answered by Lord Robathan (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 December 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Nuclear Weapons: Testing

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what documents relating to nuclear tests in 1957 and 1958 his Department holds but has not published.

Answer: [holding answer 2 December 2010]: In accordance with the Public Records Acts, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) withholds from release to the public at the National Archives files that are over 30 years old, or extracts from them, if and for so long as their contents are judged to be sensitive. The MOD continues to work closely with the War Pensions Tribunal with a view to ensuring that all relevant documents relating to the war pensions appeals are disclosed to the Tribunal. Special security arrangements have been agreed with the Tribunal to ensure appropriate handling of any highly classified documents.

Secondary information